Bloody Beautiful
by NessieTheMessy
Summary: She thought ghosts weren't real... and she was oh-so wrong. - mild!SasoSaku (ONESHOT)


**A/N: **Hey, Nessie here! Truth be told, this is only an attempt at getting over my long-lasting writer's block. This is based off of a drabble I wrote years ago. I was just beginning to learn English at the time, so it wasn't anything special. But now that I'm a little more experienced, I wanted to rewrite it. Anyways, hope you enjoy this oneshot! ^^

* * *

The pitch-black curtain draped over the sky, like usual. The milky dots danced along in various patterns on the velvet-like surface; so distant and unreachable, yet tempting every human being to reach out and try to touch the beautiful lights of the night. The moon, a pure white sphere, shone proudly above the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

It was a tranquil night. Under the cloaking of the darkness, a few ANBU patrolled the empty streets, ensuring everyone's safety. The other villagers, regular citizens and shinobi alike, chose to withdraw into their respective homes' comfort.

The Haruno family was by no means secretive; Kizashi and Mebuki, much to their daughter and neighbours' dismay, tended to talk a tad bit too loud for their own good, turning their private matters into public ones. This usually resulted in Sakura yelling and scolding her parents for being too loud. For those who barely knew the trio, their comportment would seem obnoxious, but those who knew them personally simply described them as unusually intense, but good-hearted people.

Extreme as they were, even the Haruno family couldn't say no to a relaxing night once in a while. They returned to their small apartment earlier that night, ate dinner, and each of them headed back to their respective rooms with content smiles.

Sakura closed her door with a long sigh and lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling from under her half-closed eyelids.

"Another quiet night…" she whispered as a shiver run down her spine. The pink haired girl knew that she should welcome the rare peace, but her mind kept racing. It has been a little over a month since Lady Chiyo gave her life to save Gaara. She was certain that that day would go down in history as the date of the Fifth Kazekage's rebirth, but Sakura had an entirely different reason why that particular day's events kept replaying in her head whenever she was left alone with her thoughts.

Her fight with a certain Akatsuki member was still vivid in her mind. The rush of adrenalin, the poison in her veins, she could still feel them all. And the strangest thing was, whenever she looked in her mirror, or saw her reflexion somewhere, there was always a second face staring right back at her. It was like _he_ was standing behind her, watching her every move vigilantly, like a hawk would its prey's. Akasuna no Sasori never left her alone.

And what bothered her the most was that nobody else saw him, but her.

She checked every book in the Village's library and every medical scroll that lady Tsunade had, but she was still clueless as to what her visions were. At first, she thought that it was only her imagination playing tricks on her, maybe her exhaustion from Tsunade's intense training sessions was finally showing. But if that were the case, she should be able to see the redheaded man anywhere, not only beside her reflexion.

Her other thought was that maybe it was a strange genjutsu cast upon her, but she checked time and time again, and she came up with nothing. She had an affinity for these techniques, and she should've been able to notice if something was wrong. And if not her, then her mentor surely would have.

But… Nothing. There was nothing out of place. She couldn't even blame this on some kind of post traumatic stress disorder. It wasn't her first dangerous mission, her first kill, yet still…

For the last couple of days, she started to believe that she was finally going insane. How else could she possibly explain this strange phenomena? Ghosts didn't exist… right?

With a sudden resolution Sakura stood up and with two long strides she found herself in her small attached bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror, glaring. The pink haired girl leaned forward and gripped the sink with such strength that it cracked in her hands.

She was no longer surprised by what she saw. The red haired young man stood beside her reflexion, his empty gaze boring into hers.

"The world is full of things that go beyond the laws of physics. I walk on water, have superhuman strength, can heal fatal wounds within minutes… But ghosts do _not_ exist."

"And how can you be so sure?"

The unnatural whisper came from so close that Sakura felt her blood freeze in her veins. Her eyes widened as she saw the man in her mirror move. He moved behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She shivered. How… How could she possibly feel his touch?

"Wh...What…" Suddenly, she found it hard to breath. Her thoughts were racing so fast that she was afraid she might collapse right then and there. " What are you… We killed you. Lady Chiyo killed you!"

"Indeed." A sinister smile married his thin lips.

"Then how are you-"

Sasori moved his hand again. His fingers travelled higher, and she felt the air around her growing cold; his touch an icy breeze.

"Curious, are we?"

She hesitated for a moment. She couldn't explain how or why, but the longer she held his deadly gaze, the more enchanted she became.

"Yes." Sakura moved her mouth, but no sound came out. Still, the man understood her.

He tilted his head to the side and began to play with a stay lock of pink hair.

"Every living being is made up of two sides. The body and the soul. I no longer exist in this world. Physically, that is. But the soul is eternal." Not knowing what to say or do, she barely nodded at his words. "And I made this discovery thanks to you and my… grandmother. Eternal beauty is death itself."

Sakura felt her strength leaving her body. Her grip on the sink loosened and her arms hung at her sides like two logs of wood. She couldn't even open her mouth anymore, she was left with only her thoughts.

_What are you doing here then? _

"I want to give you a gift."

_A… gift?_

"Precisely." A dark expression took over his features. "I want to give you… eternal beauty. I just want to return the favor."

The girl saw his fingers curl around her neck, and a sharp pain jolted through her body. She couldn't breathe anymore, and what was even more unsettling, she couldn't even move a finger to stop him. To fight back, to run away; nothing. It was like the well-trained kunoichi was no longer, and a shaking, helpless girl took her place.

Sakura's vision became blurry, and she could feel her blood pulsing in her ears.

And then, darkness.

…

The pink haired girl was found dead the next morning by her parents; the cause of death was suffocation. The entire village was horrified; the ANBU haven't noticed a thing, and yet this extremely skilled kunoichi was...

Sakura's lifeless body lay on her bathroom floor, staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes. Through the shock and hysterics the parents went through, they failed to notice the letters left on the mirror.

_Bloody beautiful._


End file.
